Pyrrole compounds, such as 2,5-dimethylpyrrole, can be used as components in oligomerization catalyst systems for producing α-olefin oligomers, such as 1-hexene or 1-octene, from ethylene. However, the synthesis schemes to produce pyrrole compounds and their γ-dicarbonyl precursors often suffer from one or more of low yield, large by-product formation, and difficult isolation and purification of the desired γ-dicarbonyl precursor compounds. Accordingly, the present invention is generally directed to a synthesis scheme to produce γ-dicarbonyl compounds that overcomes these noted deficiencies.